FBC Morning Light – January 7, 2023

People of Faith. This morning's reading is Genesis Chapter 13 and Chapter 14. We're going to be in Chapter 14. Just so you know, every Saturday we will be doing this, where we go through two chapters from the Old Testament.

The Yearly Bible Reading Plan and Today's Passage

That's part of our yearly Bible reading plan. So here we are in Genesis Chapter 14. Let me read verses 18 through 20. Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was the priest of God Most High, and he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.

And he gave him a tithe of all. Now this is our main passage in the Old Testament of where we learn about Melchizedek. The book of Hebrews has some things to say about Melchizedek. We're going to look a little bit at that in Hebrews 5 through 7.

Hebrews and the Superiority of Jesus

Let's just remember the purpose of the book of Hebrews was to encourage Jewish Christians who were considering leaving the faith, and at the same time to show that Jesus is better than anything they could have in Jesus's place.

And here we're going to talk about why Jesus is better, and I'm going to try and give you two reasons for that. First of all, Melchizedek, his name and what he was. He is king of Salem, which means king of peace, and his name means king of righteousness.

Without beginning in the Old Testament, he just comes out of nowhere, and he doesn't have...there's no story about the end of his life, so it can be said about Melchizedek that he is without beginning and without end.

Jesus is without beginning and without end, and that is one thing that makes Jesus better than anything you could ever replace him with. Secondly, the Jewish people had a priesthood. It was through Aaron.

We say the Aaronic priesthood. However, who did Abraham give tithes to? He gave tithes to Melchizedek. It's the first instant in the Old Testament of having a tithe, but Abram recognized the greatness of Melchizedek and gave a tithe to Melchizedek saying, you're worthy of me giving this to you.

Melchizedek, Abraham, and the Better Priesthood of Christ

So how does that relate to Jesus having a better priesthood than the Levites? Well, where were the Levites when Abram made his offering to Melchizedek? He was still in the loins of Abram, had not been born yet, but we have here in a picture form the idea that all of Abram's descendants, including the Levites, gave a tithe to Melchizedek the greater, and who is Melchizedek?

Our priest in the order of Melchizedek is none other than Christ himself, and that's the second thing that makes Christ better than anything you could replace him with today. Let's think on these things as we go throughout our Saturday, and let's pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for the encouragement that you are better, that you are a priest according to the order of Melchizedek without beginning and without end, and that you are our heavenly priest who has the power and the right to bring us to God.

Help us walk with you this day. It's in your son's name, Jesus, that we pray. Amen. Have an excellent day, people of faith.